Lester Palmer Municipal Auditorium was the destination of United States President John F. Kennedy's arrival to Austin on November 22, 1963 when he was assassinated in Dallas. He was scheduled to give a speech for a sold-out dinner in the Grand Courtyard on Friday evening. In the late 1990s Austin's primary symphony orchestra, opera group and ballet company were brought together by the need for a high-quality permanent performance venue. The three groups formed an organization called Arts Center Stage and began raising funds and developing plans for a new performing arts center they could share. Eventually they petitioned the City of Austin for the right to lease and renovate the Lester E. Palmer Auditorium on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake; a city referendum authorized the lease in 1998. In April 1999 the project was named the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts, after a couple who contributed a $20 million donation to the funding of the new facility. An original plan developed by Chicago architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was commissioned November 1999, and by August 2001, Arts Center Stage had raised over $61 million of its $110 million funding goal. The facility was designed to have four theatres, ranging in size from a 232-seat studio theatre to a grand theatre seating over 2,000 guests. With the slowing economy in 2002–3, the Long Center Board of Trustees, major donors, community arts leaders, and staff began researching alternative methods to improve project costs. A new project would be proposed and unanimously approved on October 2003, involving construction of the Long Center in phases. Phase I of the building project included the Michael & Susan Dell Hall and the Debra & Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre. Phase II would include the Topfer Theatre and Recital & Education Building. After 10 years of construction, the grand opening of the Long Center took place on March 28, 2008. Funding for the $77 million first-phase was provided for exclusively by private donations from more than 4,600 supporters.
Recycling the Palmer Auditorium
In order to reduce costs and decrease the environmental impact of the renovation, 95% of material from the pre-existing Palmer Auditorium was recycled and incorporated into Phase I of the Long Center. One of the architectural stand-outs of the Long Center is its circular “ring-beam” around the city terrace, which was originally an anchoring structure for the Palmer Auditorium. The aluminum panels used to construct the Palmer Auditorium roof were reused for the exterior finish and wall decorations of the Dell Hall. In addition, five tons of steel from the Palmer Auditorium were melted and reused in the construction of the Long Center.
Resident Companies
The Long Center has three Founding Resident Companies:
Austin Lyric Opera
Austin Symphony Orchestra
Ballet Austin
Several other Austin performance groups have also been designated as Resident Companies:
Michael and Susan Dell Hall – A 2,242 seat grand concert hall with parterre, mezzanine, and balcony levels that wrap around the interior walls to form boxes at each level.
Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre – An adaptable black box theatre that seats 80-229, offering configurations from theatre in the round, to thrust stage, to cabaret seating.
City Terrace and Hartman Concert Park – A terrace located just outside the Dell Hall looking onto Lady Bird Lake and Auditorium Shores. The City Terrace provides a panoramic view of downtown Austin while encircled by the “ring beam” from the old Palmer Auditorium. At the middle of the “ring beam” is a “compression ring” from the old Palmer Auditorium, which has been transformed into a bottom-lit, circular stage.
Kodosky Donor Lounge – An enclosed lounge on the east and north side of the mezzanine level of the Long Center with floor-to-ceiling windows.
West Pincer Terrace & Lounge – A covered, open-air lounge on the west side of the mezzanine level.
AT&T Education Rooms – Two education rooms for small receptions, meetings, or classroom space.
Architects, Consultants, and Design
Architects and designers of the Long Center include:
